The Vent Thread 2014 Draft

[arnie_uk]

I was mad when they decided to pick Mosley over Pryor,but now that I've spent some time getting over it I'm just happy we're not going to force Arthur Brown into our starting lineup.I'm still not sold on him.I think he's the next Tandon Doss.A fan favorite that everyone looks at through purple glasses and he'll never turn into a star player.Let alone a starter.But anyway,how I feel about Brown is a moot point now because we have CJ!

the drafting if mosley worries me that they won't really give him a chance.

That and the injury history is the only thing stopping me being thrilled. I like the play on the field, I have no qualms about that.

[BmoreBird22]

 

5 injuries in 4 yrs is a red flag. There's no sugar coating it. He mighy be ok now, but hos body could easily give up on him a lot earlier than someone that hasn't had any injuries based on past history.

I wouldnt be surprised if after 6 8 years in the league if hes virtually done due to a broken down body.

Sure, he could have his body break down, but couldn't any player? I'm actually not too worried

[arnie_uk]

Sure, he could have his body break down, but couldn't any player? I'm actually not too worried

any player could, but its more likely to happen to someone thats had more surgeries than years since 2010.

Its the same for a lot of that bama programme, especially defense.

[cobrajet]

Jerry Jones - I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!!!!!!!!!

[BmoreBird22]

I like this debate (not being sarcastic or facetious, I genuinely enjoy debating with someone who has a contrasting view) , so here we go.

 

I highly doubt Mosely's, or any Linebacker for that matter, ability to man up on one of those tight ends and remove them. Limit them slightly, perhaps, but not that big of an impact. It's much more likely to get a slightly bigger safety that can go toe-to-toe with these tight ends.

 

The fact remains that some teams didn't clear him and it's not just him. For another example, I would have hated Easley because of his medical red flags. I just have a general dislike for prospects that are potentially damaged goods before playing a down.

 

This is more of a personal preference. I don't think ILBs are that important and have a limited impact compared to a lot of other positions. It's nice to have a great one, but it doesn't make a huge difference overall to the team. I'll definitely concede that there's a big drop off, but for me Inside Linebacker is one of the least impactful/important positions. I hope I'm wrong in regards to Mosely, it's just my view of the position.

 

My last point leads on to this one in why I didn't have Mosely as a first rounder. His position. I think there were at least 32 other players that, due to talent or position, could have come in and made more of an impact from day 1, which is what I'd expect from a 17th overall pick.

 

I was pointing out that the school has a habit of producing overhyped players that aren't as good as advertised. How much of it is surrounding talent and system is definitely debatable, but the track record for his school is still shoddy at best. I get that he's Mosely, he isn't any of the others, but (again, personal thing here) I don't trust Alabama players to be anything more than solid role players. I'm comfortable taking them in the mid rounds as contributors, but not as star players. As often as not Saban's already eeked every bit of potential out of the player before they hit the pros. It's like Iowa and their offensive linemen.

 

It's still a valid point. That sort of failure to find a quality talent over that length of time is worrying. Yeah, it means that we've found solid contributors, but that lack of one or two exceptional young talents coming through showed at numerous points last year. It was a point made to show that the front office isn't perfect. They're human, they make mistakes. They're very good at what they do, but they shouldn't be blindly followed.

 

I agree that everyone has the right to their opinion on the pick, whether they like the pick or not, hence the "You can have a different opinion on players". In context it may have seemed like I was saying "everyone should hate the pick" but I assure you I wasn't, I just didn't know why some people were getting lambasted for having a differing opinion.

Oh, no, no tight end will ever be fully taken out by a linebacker (or safety). I mean, Aqib Talib had to cover Jimmy Graham when the Patriots played the Saints. I just think that CJ Mosley's coverage is up there with some safeties (in terms of his ability to play man coverage) and that's very underrated. Will he truly be able to take out Graham or Gronk? Ha, no, but it certainly would be better than having someone like Josh Bynes trying to cover them. 

 

I actually liked Easley. I was shocked he went so high, but I really did like him. I can understand not wanting injured players. Definitely a concern. Do we know which teams didn't medically clear him?

 

I find it so hard to rank the importance of defensive players. If I'm building a 3-4 defense, getting a linebacker like Mosley who can cover, make plays against the run, and make all the calls is high on my list, but I could see where you wouldn't rank a linebacker terribly high. It's a tough list to try to assemble, and like you said, it's personal preference.

 

I agree with his top 10 ranking as a prospect. I do agree that I think there are some players that could be a bigger impact from day one, and I guess it depends on how you assemble your board. I'm still wondering how Marqise Lee is in the second round. Huge shocker.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I think Mosley has still yet to show us a lot of what he can do. Mosley wasn't a player who started a lot in the early years, only being used in coverage packages, but he comes in as a run defender and kept improving that way. I think the fact that he showed a lot of constant improvement shows that he still has a lot of potential and  can certainly get better. I honestly think the fact that he was the one setting the coverages, setting alignments, etc. shows that he was more a reason that other players were good than the other way around. Not to mention that I saw a lot of plays where he would take on a block to allow a teammate to make a tackle for loss, he'd tip a pass that led to an interception, etc. I really truly believe that he was the reason Alabama's defense was so good.

 

I wouldn't agree with pro-bowls as being a good measuring stick. I mean, how did Lardarius Webb not go to one, especially in 2011? Jimmy Smith after this year? Arthur Jones never went, and he was pretty good this year. I get that the Ravens haven't gotten tons of massively talented guys, but they certainly get robbed in those Pro-Bowl votes. The front office certainly has made mistakes, like passing on Keenan Allen… twice, but they've also shown to have a very proven track record. I do question a lot of the moves they made, but I also try to at least see what they saw.

 

I actually don't mind people who disagree because it can fuel good discussion. I'm usually really sarcastic because I feel like most people just disagree without merit, but I do like this discussion now that you've shown you have sound reasoning.

[BmoreBird22]

any player could, but its more likely to happen to someone thats had more surgeries than years since 2010.

Its the same for a lot of that bama programme, especially defense.

He hasn't missed any significant time, that I know of. Two games in 2011, but nothing too bad, so that tells me these injuries are either blown out of proportion, or he's tough and can play through injuries. I like both of those.

 

Sure, past injuries can lead to future concerns, but then again, you have guys like Jarvis Jones (who I have heard zero about) and then guys like Matthew Stafford who missed no games in college, but was made of glass for two years. Hell, Jay Cutler never missed a game due to injury in college, but now looks. We're just going to have to wait and see. I don't think there's a good way to predict this.

[izvoodoo]

any player could, but its more likely to happen to someone thats had more surgeries than years since 2010.

Its the same for a lot of that bama programme, especially defense.

4 of his 5 surgeries have been clean ups.  He only had the one knee injury really.

[black blood purple passion]

I do believe in BPA I just did not have Mosley on my radar even after all his injuries. Sure he's medically cleared and physically capable of playing right now, but his chance of re-injuring himself is very high. I'll like the pick if he can stay healthy....really pissed about that coin flip we could have used this draft to bolster our offence.

[BalloutRaven21]

The amount of negativity in this thread is ridiculous.

 

Mosley is a beast, not to mention he is a natural born leader and incredibly smart.  Give him a few years and he'll be the leader of our defense.

We need a impact player now, terrrel, Ngtata and Webb aren't getting any younger  

[RichieAsh]

Mosley is flat out scary from an injury history, but the FO went BPA and I was glad to see them not settle for Ha Ha. The Kuechly comparisons give me hope. He's going to make plays knifing into the backfield on runs and will make plays anticipating passes. Incredibly instinctive is how I like to see defensive draft picks described.  Steelers made a mistake by falling in love with a 40 time. Mosley's a better player.

[BalloutRaven21]

solid pick.

 

we are set long term with brown and mosley and both will learn from smith.

also both smith can play as  olb in coverage so i can only imagine the coverage lbers cand provide us now.

 

also people jimmy ward is a freaking SS.

we did not need him since elam is a SS.

 

niners picked him to replace withner who played SS.

they have Reid who they drafted last year who plays FS.

 

seriously what is so hard to understand ????

we need a FS and people cry we did not draft a SS long.

 

SMH

Ward is not SS, he can play it but he will be a better FS then he is SS.  The kid had 7 ints,  He can play SS, but it will be how like matt elam played out of is position, he just won't be as good if he's not playing his natural position 

[RLewis52]

Drafting Mosley because he's an impact player is good and all.....only if he will actually play. Using our first round pick on a guy that will be behind 2 guys already doesn't sound amazing to me.....its not like we could of used a safety...wide receiver.....corner, more guys that we thought were gonna be gone were still there

[redlobster]

Still as disgusted with the pick this morning as I was yesterday. Injury concerns, lack of need for ILB at 17, etc. He is no patrick willis or Kuchely by a long shot and the ravens have and still have much bigger needs. When will Flacco be given some talented weapons? Will they wait till round 5-7 to draft junk WR's again ?

[Cville-Raven]

Drafting Mosley because he's an impact player is good and all.....only if he will actually play. Using our first round pick on a guy that will be behind 2 guys already doesn't sound amazing to me.....its not like we could of used a safety...wide receiver.....corner, more guys that we thought were gonna be gone were still there

He's most likely going to play. Its Brown who will be fighting for playing time. 

[Jokerraven]

Still as disgusted with the pick this morning as I was yesterday. Injury concerns, lack of need for ILB at 17, etc. He is no patrick willis or Kuchely by a long shot and the ravens have and still have much bigger needs. When will Flacco be given some talented weapons? Will they wait till round 5-7 to draft junk WR's again ?

absolutely correct on all accounts when I saw someone comparing mosely to willis I was flabbergasted not even close . I know we have no say in who gets picked but that's way over the top. I doubt we get any receivers unless they are late rounds, undrafted or have absolutely no chance of ever contributing period. The fo signed two old guys so all good offense is done .

[izvoodoo]

Drafting Mosley because he's an impact player is good and all.....only if he will actually play. Using our first round pick on a guy that will be behind 2 guys already doesn't sound amazing to me.....its not like we could of used a safety...wide receiver.....corner, more guys that we thought were gonna be gone were still there

Neither Brown nor Smith are adept run defenders. So Mosley will most likely start.

[Bltravens]

Drafting Mosley because he's an impact player is good and all.....only if he will actually play. Using our first round pick on a guy that will be behind 2 guys already doesn't sound amazing to me.....its not like we could of used a safety...wide receiver.....corner, more guys that we thought were gonna be gone were still there

He's going to start from Day 1.  Bynes has seen his last down on defense, Brown will see time in the nickel and Mosley will play beside Smith from the start.

This is the first Day 1 starter we've taken who will start because of talent alone since Grubbs.

Another thing people are overlooking I think is the leadership standpoint for Mosley.  This is the guy who will run the defense when Smith is gone and the guy who will be that kind of "it" guy for the defense when Ngata and Suggs are gone.  When Suggs leaves there's going to be a real void from those nasty defenses of the past.  Mosley has the ability to keep it going and have teams be wary of where he is on the field.

[BmoreBird22]

I don't get why people don't view this as a position of need. I disagree. Daryl Smith is 32 and not strong against the run. He gets absorbed by blockers and is slow to flow downhill. Mosley is good at disengaging from blocks and plays fast against the run.

You all just assume Arthur Brown will start and play well based off of... A shaky preseason against the starters, but strong against backups? His incredibly small role as a nickel linebacker?

I think people are downplaying the need because they're kidding themselves with expectations for Brown and Smith and it wasn't a flash pick

[Yatagarasu]

People are too short-sighted.

 

The Draft is all about the future. When you have a chance to draft a player who can lock down a position for a decade, then you do it, even if you already have players for that position. Now, we all will have to wait 3 years, to see if Ozzie made the right choice. However, draft history has shown us that the Crimson Tide players haven't been delivering their draft status as a whole since there's been too many busts. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alabama_Crimson_Tide_players_in_the_NFL_Draft

[arnie_uk]

I don't get why people don't view this as a position of need. I disagree. Daryl Smith is 32 and not strong against the run. He gets absorbed by blockers and is slow to flow downhill. Mosley is good at disengaging from blocks and plays fast against the run.

You all just assume Arthur Brown will start and play well based off of... A shaky preseason against the starters, but strong against backups? His incredibly small role as a nickel linebacker?

I think people are downplaying the need because they're kidding themselves with expectations for Brown and Smith and it wasn't a flash pick

I dont think mosley is much better than brown coming out, in fact I think I had brown higher. I imagine he will have similar issues to brown at the next level initially.

[PurpleandBlackBlood]

anyone who is not happy with mosley is a complete moron

[edthehead]

for me  the pick is so-so,,,.i am not a fan of the pick,,, time will tell  

[codizzle]

anyone who is not happy with mosley is a complete moron

Well then

[BmoreBird22]

I dont think mosley is much better than brown coming out, in fact I think I had brown higher. I imagine he will have similar issues to brown at the next level initially.

I think he is better and would have been the first linebacker off the board last year, but that's just me

[Bltravens]

I dont think mosley is much better than brown coming out, in fact I think I had brown higher. I imagine he will have similar issues to brown at the next level initially.

Mosley is a much better LB.  The shedding ability alone sets him apart from Brown.

[Wildabeast88]

Still as disgusted with the pick this morning as I was yesterday. Injury concerns, lack of need for ILB at 17, etc. He is no patrick willis or Kuchely by a long shot and the ravens have and still have much bigger needs. When will Flacco be given some talented weapons? Will they wait till round 5-7 to draft junk WR's again ?

the thing is with WR we have Torrey Steve Jacoby Marlon plus Mellette. Kubiak plays a ton of 2 TE sets so how many WRs do you need. Now is the time to find out what you have with Brown and Mellette. I get Steve isn't a long term option but at most we will be putting 2 WRs on the field at a time in Kubiaks system. So I would fix RT and secondary and grab RB today

[Wildabeast88]

Also I'm fine wit Mosley initially I was not happy wanted to get S 1st but we only had Smith Brown and Bynes on roster so we needed depth plus Smith is 32 plus let Smith teach Moseley and Brown and we should be set at ILB for years. I hate we missed on S but I think I'm fine with the pick

[BMORE21]

I see most of you are blinded by your fandom. You dudes have to be more realistic with your comments.

[BMORE21]

We may still be able to address our needs at WR,RB, and maybe RT, but we can forget about a nice ball hawking safety being picked up by us in this draft.

[izvoodoo]

We may still be able to address our needs at WR,RB, and maybe RT, but we can forget about a nice ball hawking safety being picked up by us in this draft.

honestly I wouldn't be shocked if there were no starting Free Safeties from this draft 3 years from now.